Break A Thread
by MistyEyed
Summary: Luke and Renee Grant move with their family, and Luke goes to try out for the football team, he doesn't care about anything else in the world. Except for his little sister. What happens when Renee almost falls for a member already on the team?
1. A Brother's Job

The movers slowly backed out of the driveway, nearly hitting the new mailbox, as a family of four walked into their new house. Actually, the two teenagers raced into the house, the older boy shoving the girl out of the way once they got to the door, quite playfully. The girl ran after the boy and soon caught up to him, she then reached up and messed up his already messily cut auburn colored hair. "Renee!" the boy yelled as his sister slammed the door to her new room behind her.  
  
"Yes, Luke?" the sister, and younger of the two, Renee asked. Behind the door she was smiling widely as she pressed her hands against the door, as to not let her brother, Luke, come in. Her smile widened as she heard footsteps walking away, thinking it was Luke. Her hands left the white door, she walked to her bed, and her hands tightened the ponytail that her dark brown hair was fashioned in.  
  
But, as Luke heard his sister move away from the door, he quickly turned around from his walking away and bolted toward her room. He pushed open the door with his shoulder and hands, smiling as his sister shrieked. "Hey Renee, you should know better then to leave me out there while you fix your hair all pretty." Renee merely shrugged her shoulders and tackled him to the bed. "Or not."  
  
"Not Luke, not. And you should know better then to tell me what to do, isn't that right?" Renee smiled down at her brother as she stated that facts that he knew. Both of them locked eyes with the other, they both had the same green eyes, with smiles on their faces. "You know I could beat you in basketball any day."  
  
"But not in football, that's my sport. That's my baby" Luke said as his smile widened. He always referred to football being the reason that he was single half the time he played, so he called it his 'baby' as a joke with his little sister. "You can have basketball, that's a wimpy sport."  
  
"Is not" Renee shook her head as she closed her eyes, her smile still on her pretty face. "Besides, I love football just as much as you do." By now, the two were off of her small bed and standing. "But, speaking of football, didn't we get here just in time for you to tryout?"  
  
Luke nodded, he knew it was time to try out. Renee gave him a look that asked why he wasn't so excited, and he merely shrugged his strong shoulders. "I don't know sis, what if they don't want anymore guys trying out? I know I was all-star back home, but down there is different then here," he stated, looking at the floor.  
  
Renee put her hand on his shoulder "You're Luke Grant, and I've never heard of any of us Grants givin' up just because we're somewhere new. And, of all people, I know you wouldn't give up that easy" she said with a slight smile. Luke knew she was right, and he nodded once more.  
  
"Ya know what? You're right for once sis, I'm gonna try out this year!" Luke replied, his smile once again coming to hi face. He slammed his fist lightly in the palm of his other hand, and their mother called for dinner.  
  
As the family sat down, they were silent for a little while. But, Luke laughed at nothing in particular, causing the whole family to smile. Luke certainly was a class clown, and at dinner was not an exception to his jokes and laughing. "Luke, Luke!" their father said, trying to calm his son down. Luke, being one to only shut his mouth when his father wanted to talk to him, immediately stopped his laughing and sat up straight. "Thank- you, I just wanted to know what you think about the team this year."  
  
"What do you mean, what do I think about it?" Luke said as he scratched the top of his head. He looked at his father, a bit confused, and shrugged his shoulders.  
  
"You know, about the blacks on it now" his father said, looking at his plate and continuing to shove a steamed vegetable into his mouth.  
  
"Oh, I don't mind. As long as it's football, then I'm game!" Luke answered with a smile on his face again. Renee, who was sitting next to him, raised her hand and the two slapped each other a high-five. "And Renee is gonna help me and all, isn't that right?"  
  
Renee nodded, her father shook his head and looked up at them. "You know how much I hate you being so into sports, you're a girl, not a teenage boy" he said, locking eyes with his daughter.  
  
"Dad, I'm in high school too. Not just Luke. I think I'm old enough to decide what I want to do! Besides, I've heard that the coach's daughter, who is only nine, hangs out and knows as much about football as Luke here does" Renee shot back, as she stood up and looked to her mother. "May I be excused?"  
  
"Ummm… yes, I suppose" her mother mumbled out. Renee nodded and stormed back to her room, tears stinging at the corners of her eyes. She pushed a piece of her dark brown hair out of her face as she flung the door to her room open. Slamming the door behind her, Renee sat on her bed and sighed.  
  
"I'll go check on her" Luke said, his mother nodded, and he stood quickly. He ran his hand through his auburn colored hair, blinked his green eyes, and walked after his sister. Knocking softly at her door, he opened it slowly. "Ri, you alright?"  
  
When Renee heard the nickname he began to call her as a child, she looked up and nodded. "I'm fine, I just hate the way he judges me for being a girl. I love sports just as much as any boy" she said, Luke sat down in front on her on the floor and put his head on her knees. She playfully pushed his head off of her knees and laughed "Luke, you always know how to make me laugh."  
  
"I'm your brother" Luke replied as a fact, she gave him a confused look and soon he continued, "That's my job!" 


	2. Short Deal

"Sunshine! Oh Sunshine!" Julius yelled over the noise and bustle that all of the new guys were making. "Shut up, all of you! I'm trying to hear Sunshine." He smirked as everyone in the room stopped their talking and looked at him, then all of their heads turned to look at Ronnie.  
  
"Thanks man, thanks" Ronnie "Sunshine" mumbled, a smile flickering on his face. "I was trying to tell you to stop it with the Sunshine bit around the new kids." Julius merely smiled and shrugged his shoulders squarely. "Never mind."  
  
As the day continued, Coach Boone continued to talk with the new kids, allowing the guys from the prior year to hang out. But, as the door next to them, as they had formed a group, opened, they all looked over and Ronnie had to stand on his tip toes and tilt his head to see who was walking in. "Luke! Luke Grant, how are you?" one of the guys was speaking with the guy who had just stepped in.  
  
"Oh, hey man. I'm doing alright, you remember Renee, don't you?" Luke asked as he pulled his sister toward him by placing his arm around her shoulders and tugging her to his side, a smile on his face. The other nodded with a smile "but then again" Luke paused and looked his sister over before looking forward again "who could forget her with her loud mouth?"  
  
Renee looked over to Luke and slapped his on his shoulder "what did you say? Did you say I was loud?" she questioned, Luke gulped jokingly and nodded his head "ugh, you're gonna get it at home! But, for now, go talk with the coach or something, let me be for a little while, away from you, my caring, loving, annoying older brother."  
  
Ronnie and Julius looked the girl over as her brother walked away, a smile on his face, as he seemed happy to have done his job of annoying his sister. She seemed nice enough looking, and she had some personality. Her brown hair fell to her mid-back, she stood to be only about 5'7", if that, and she was very slender, as most of the cheerleaders across the room were. Ronnie ran his hand through his dirty blonde hair and pushed by the other guys with his elbows, making his way up to the girl.  
  
As Renee looked around at the guys, football players, she shook her head. Half of them seemed to be young guys who just wanted to be as the Titans had the year before. The other half, well they seemed all right, but not great. The only ones that seemed to be willing to make sacrifices were the players from the years before, and a random few others. Her brother went through her mind and she shook her head once more "I'll get that boy in shape" she mumbled to herself.  
  
"I bet you will" a voice said, startling her quite a bit. Renee glanced over to her left and caught sight of a dirty blonde haired boy, who was not at all bad looking in her book. He held out his hand with a smile on his face "I'm Ronnie, but everyone calls me Sunshine."  
  
"Sunshine? Where's that from?" Renee asked, extending her own hand and placing it in Ronnie's, with a light shake afterward. He just shrugged his shoulders with his smile growing.  
  
"Long story. But, I don't find it fair that you know who I am, but I haven't heard your name just yet" Ronnie said, Renee smiled and tugged lightly at the hemp necklace around her neck, as if it was no big deal.  
  
"Renee, my brother's Luke, he's trying out for the team this year" she replied with another smile as she pointed out Luke to Ronnie, who nodded in approval. "Think he got a chance?"  
  
"Sure, coach Boone isn't that hard on the new guys, but all these guys aren't going to make it. Half of them aren't even from this state!" Ronnie said, causing Renee to laugh. "It's true, though."  
  
"I know, we just got into town, but now we live here. So, Sunshine is it?" Renee said, Ronnie nodded. "Well, if I'm going to have to hang around you guys all year, mind telling me about yourself and the rest of them?"  
  
"You think you're hanging around with us?" Ronnie joked, and Renee slowly nodded. "Have you really gone through that many teams that you have to ask to know about the players?" Renee nodded again. "Okay, come with me and we'll talk, Boone isn't going to make me tryout until we get to camp this August."  
  
The two made their way outside, Ronnie guided her to a bench and the two sat. "Well, let's see, if I tell you about everyone on the team, you're going to have to tell me about yourself, too, and your brother" Ronnie instructed.  
  
"Okay, I don't see a problem with that, you first, though" Renee replied, adding in her last part quickly, a small smirk on her face.  
  
"Fine, I'm Ronnie "Sunshine" and I'm really from California. Or I was. I came to the team last season, the middle of camp actually. Umm… in between the rest of camp and school, there's some stuff you don't need to know. All of us are like brothers, and when Garry left, or was in the accident, we really didn't want to play. Most of us go for cheerleaders too," Ronnie said, hinting at something with the cheerleader comment.  
  
"I'm going out for cheerleading squad this year, I think. But, can I still come to football practices?" Renee said, Ronnie nodded and pushed his hair back once more with his hand. "I'm a year behind my brother, Luke, but I know more about football then he will ever want to know. My dad says I'm too much of a boy for my own good, he doesn't like me very much, he says I need to do girl stuff. I don't want to paint my nails, and get all pretty and dressed up for dances and dates."  
  
"I know, girl, most of us don't want to either" Ronnie joked, causing Renee to laugh once more. "But, I'm sure you have a longer life story then just that, I tell you what. You tell me one thing about you, and I'll tell you one thing about me, we'll go back and forth. Deal?"  
  
Ronnie stuck out his hand once more, and Renee quickly took him up on the offer, putting her hand in his "Deal!" she said, both smiling. 


	3. Moonie

Finally, after what seemed like a very long forever, it was the day for the camp to start once more. Ronnie sat next to Luke on the ground as they waited to get onto the big blue buses. "I wouldn't mind sitting here this long, if Renee was around" Luke mumbled to himself, seeming quite annoyed with the fact that they were forced to wait so long.  
  
Ronnie nodded, he wouldn't mind if Renee was around to talk to, she was fun to hang around with. "Yeah, you're sister's really cool" he said, almost to himself. Luke just nodded and stood, Ronnie soon followed, and the two went out looking for Renee  
  
"Renee!" Luke yelled, finally catching a glimpse of his little sister. It wasn't that he was worried about her, it was the football players that were surrounded her that got to him. His eyes narrowed as he got ready to barge in on the little party that they were having around his sister. But, Ronnie pushed him back and shook his head, telling him that he'd go get her.  
  
Ronnie shrugged his shoulders as he elbowed his way by the group of young men. "Move!" he instructed, shoving aside a very large new guy, who turned to face him. "Man, I said move." The guy looked him up and down and shoved him backwards, into Julius.  
  
"You telling me to move? Do you know who I am?" the guy asked, Ronnie shook his head as Julius held him back from tackling the guy to the ground. "I'm Ken Stevens, and you better not tell me to move again!"  
  
"I said, move!" Ronnie replied, breaking free of Julius's grasp and running at Ken. He tackled him to the ground and threw a punch at his jaw, only to receive one right back. Julius and a few others pulled Ronnie off of Ken, but one of them threw a punch at him as well. This time, Julius was the one to take the swing at the other, sending him backwards quite a ways.  
  
"You all listen to Sunshine when he tells you to move. And, don't swing at him, boy" Julius shouted, so everyone would hear his instructions to them. He let Ronnie go, and watched his friend jog up to Renee, who had walked away when the fight started.  
  
"Hey, your brother is looking for you" Ronnie said, quite out of breath. He looked at the ground, but suddenly looked straight up at Renee once more as he felt her skin on his. Her hand was on his jaw, which was bright red, and he sighed. "Renee, your brother…"  
  
"My brother is a big boy now, let me get you some ice for that" Renee replied, taking his hand and leading her over to Coach Boone. "Hey, Coach, any ice around this place?" the coach pointed to his left, without even looking up to her from his clipboard. "Come on, Moonie."  
  
Ronnie blinked a few times unexpectedly as she called him 'Moonie' and pulled him over to a bucket full of ice and cold water. "Moonie?" he asked, once she sat him down on the ground and was looking around for something to pick up the ice with.  
  
"Yeah, Sunshine is from the team, Moonie is from me" she replied with a smile. Within a few seconds, she sighed, not able to find anything that she could grab the ice with. So, she ripped the sleeve of her shirt off, since it was a long sleeved shirt, and picked up the ice. "Here, sorry about the shirt" she said as she handed the ice pack that she had made.  
  
"It'll work" Ronnie said, putting the ice on his jaw and breathing in harshly at the cold feeling. "It'll work," he repeated with a smile.  
  
"Good, here comes my big brother" Renee said, looking over her shoulder to see her brother walking up. She ripped off the sleeve on her other arm and tossed it on the ground. Once her brother was next to them, he sat on the ground as well and looked over at Ronnie.  
  
"Hey Sunshine, what happened to you?" Luke asked, smiling a bit. Renee nudged him and pointed Ken out to him. "Oh, that's the guy you told to move, right?" Ronnie nodded, moving his jaw a bit.  
  
"Big sissy, I should go hit him," Renee said, smirking. Luke nodded and Renee stood, she quickly walked toward Ken as Ronnie and Luke looked on.  
  
"She's not really gonna slap him, is she?" Ronnie asked, Luke only nodded and Ronnie dropped the ice on his jaw. The two looked on as Renee tapped Ken on the shoulder, and the guy started to almost flirt with her, but she pulled back her arm and quickly punched him, leaving a mark of her fist on his cheek.  
  
"That's for punching Moonie. Touch him again, and I'll make sure you don't forget my name. By the way, I'm Renee" she said with a smirk as she turned and walked away. Renee was back next to Ronnie and Luke.  
  
Coach Boone, who had seen everything, walked over to them. "Renee, is it?" he asked, she nodded, and he smiled. "How would you like to come to camp with us and help me out with these sissies that we call football players?"  
  
"I'd love to, sir" Renee replied as she jumped up and ran around, trying to find her mother or father. She quickly found them both, and asked them if she could do as the coach had asked. She was happy to hear them both say yes, they must have wanted to get her out of the house.  
  
Ronnie looked at Luke and shook his head "your sister's crazy, you know?" Luke nodded as Ronnie asked him the question, both smiling. Soon, it was time to get on the buses.  
  
"Defensive, here. Offensive, here" Coach Boone said, soon pairing the players up, black and white, and sent them on the bus that they belonged on. Then, he turned to Renee and smiled. "Good, you're on the offensive bus for now, then you ride back on the defensive bus. Get those guys ready on the way there, alright?"  
  
"I got it covered, coach" Renee said with a smile, then she jogged onto the offensive bus and sat down in the front. "Let's get this over with quickly and cruelly."  
  
Half way to the camp, Luke leaned over the seat in front of him, and tapped Ronnie on his shoulder. "Sunshine, do you like my sister?" he smirked as he saw Ronnie's eyes grow wider.  
  
"I… I, what would you say if I said I did?" Ronnie asked, a smirk forming on his own face as he did so. Luke smiled and slapped him on the shoulder.  
  
"Oh yeah! You like Renee" Luke said, slapping Ronnie a high-five with his own smile widening. "Sunshine, this is going to be one tough camp, isn't it?"  
  
"Be afraid, be very afraid" Ronnie joked, Luke smiled, and they both sat back in their seats, singing along with the songs for the rest of the ride down to the camp. The camp that could probably kill half of them, now that they had both Coach Boone and Renee to worry about. 


	4. Team Tradition

"Come on, you're all a bunch of football playin' sissies!" Renee's voice silenced the grunting football players. Their sides were aching, as were their legs, and their arms, since Renee had them doing push-ups, up downs, and sit-ups all day long in her training part of the camp.  
  
Luke, whom was next to Ronnie, smiled and continued easily with his push-ups, his sister was actually going easy on them, since it had been only half a week since they arrived at the camp. Plus, he knew his sister's plans far too well, while the others were left guessing and aching terribly. Ronnie blinked harshly as a bead of sweat dripped into his eye from his forehead. "Man, this is harsh" he mumbled to himself.  
  
"What was that, Sunshine?" the voice startled him slightly, causing him to look over to his left where he caught sight of Renee. She was smiling, and Ronnie just turned his head and continued to do what she was demanding. Even though what she demanded seemed completely impossible, but she would hear none of that from any of them. Out of the corner of his eye, Ronnie saw Renee stand back up, since she had been squatting next to him, and he sighed with relief. Her hand lightly rested on his helmet for a moment as she whispered to him "thought so Moonie, I thought so."  
  
Two long hours later, long after dark, the team was still in their complete uniform gear, still doing more sit-ups for Renee. She blew her whistle sharply and stopped weaving around the group of them. "Alright, that's enough, for now. Rest up!" she yelled to them, smiling widely. All of them stood quickly and formed a circle, grunting and huffing all the while.  
  
As she watched the team do their tradition since the year before, she only crossed her arms, shook her head, and smiled. But, someone grabbed her arm and pulled her over to the group, and she had no idea who it was. It couldn't have been Luke, he was in the middle yelling like a wild animal with Julius, so that also ruled Julius out. It wasn't Petey, he was far too busy throwing his helmet to the ground, and it wasn't anyone that she would have guessed. But, she looked over to her left and saw a bright smiling face greet her "Aww… hey Moonie, you know this is for the team, not for me" she whispered to him.  
  
Ronnie shook his head and put his arm around her shoulders "girl, learn to live a little, you are part of the team!" he yelled to her. Julius turned and pushed through the gathering teammates over to Renee. He nodded to Ronnie and smiled, then took Renee's hand and led her to the middle. Ronnie just smiled and continued with the noise that went along with the ritual.  
  
"Hey, Renee, what kinda power you got?" Julius yelled, his smile only widening as everyone tightly continued the sound. "I said what kinda power you got?"  
  
"Hey, don't lose your head, you know I got some hard soul power!" Renee yelled back, only to have Julius slap her on the back with his smile broadening.  
  
"I said, what kinda power you got?" Julius repeated, only continuing the way things went in the group of friends. Family was more like it.  
  
"Hey, you know I got some soul power!" Renee replied loudly, once more. The two gave each other a high-five and pumped their fists in the air, getting the rest of the team to do so, leaving everyone yelling and shouting in victory.  
  
A few minutes later, Renee was walking with Julius, back to the rooms, when he stopped. "You know, you're aight. We all like ya around here, you fit in, girl. But, you need to meet one person to really fit in" he said, looking at the ground for a moment before he looked quickly back up to her. He looked at her confused expression, and into her bright eyes.  
  
"Who's that?" she asked softly, Julius was confusing her a bit, what with the way he had mentioned this other person to her, but she didn't mind. She was used to people springing things on her quickly, reminded her of how her father just packed up the family and moved them a few years after settling someplace, just like they were old children's toys that could be thrown in a box.  
  
"Gerry" Julius replied, looking at the ground once more. Renee smiled and nodded, she had wanted to meet this Gerry character every since she had watched him on the television, he seemed like a very good player, and she didn't think that the Titans would ever be the same at their final game for the season without their captain leading them. Julius put his arm around her now shivering shoulders, and led her inside "sorry to keep you outside longer than you needed to be, now you're cold."  
  
"It's alright, I don't mind the cold" Renee replied as the two continued to walk up the stairs, where Renee's room was stationed. Once they reached the door, Renee turned to face Julius "by the way, once we get home, will you promise to take me to meet Gerry? I'd love to meet him."  
  
Julius smiled and hugged her tightly, once he let go, he looked into her eyes "oh, you're gonna love Superman! Ah, he's so cool, he's the greatest and best friend I've ever had. Thanks a lot girl, you won't regret your decision to meet him," he said with his smile widening.  
  
"I would never turn down meeting a person like him, he seems nice and like a hard worker" Renee stated, and that was the truth. "Honestly I've wanted to meet him for a while now, never thought I'd get the chance though, but I never thought I'd be helping with coaching the Titans either." Julius just nodded, said good night, and left her to go to sleep. She would need the rest, if she was going to help Coach Boone get them all up at three o'clock in the morning, just for a jog.  
  
And that she did, Coach Boone and Renee traveled up and down the halls, banging on the doors to every room and yelling at the people inside to get up and meet outside in five minutes. Once that was done, the two looked at each other and nodded, then went outside to meet the rest of the bunch of them outside. Standing there, ready to go, was Luke, Ronnie, and Julius. Coach Boone shook his head and looked the three up and down, then he turned to Renee "how did they do that?" Renee just shrugged and the two jogged over to them.  
  
"Well, well, well if it isn't Sunshine, Big Ju, and…" Coach Boone began as he motioned to each as he said their nicknames, but he stopped at Luke "boy! You need a nickname!" Renee merely laughed and shrugged, she didn't have any suggestions on that one. "How about… Sandy?"  
  
Renee looked over her brother, who pleaded with her with his eyes about changing the nickname, then she turned to Coach Boone and nodded. Coach Boone messed up Luke's hair, since he didn't have his helmet on at that very moment, and looked him over "yeah, you look like a Sandy" he stated easily, the others just smirked and laughed lightly. "Yeah, that you do boy."  
  
Within four minutes, everyone else was there, and Renee walked over to Luke. "Before we start our little 'jog', I'd like to introduce you to Sandy!" she held up her brother's hand in the air, while the others hooted and cheered.  
  
"It's about time that boy got his nickname!" Julius yelled, walking over to Luke with a smile on his face. Then, Coach Boone blew whistle and started the jog, Julius just turned to Luke "let's go Sandy, I'll race ya on the way there!" the two smirked and started out at a full run, but Renee stayed back and shook her head.  
  
But, she felt a hand on her shoulder, and turned "hey, let's go" the person said. It was just Ronnie, but Renee didn't have anything to worry about with any of the guys, and Ronnie had double her trust of what most of the others did. "Okay?" Renee nodded and the two started out, it was going to be a long jog and they had each other to have a conversation with on the way to wherever Coach Boone had decided to take them. 


End file.
